Sensations of the Inexplainable
by merdisney
Summary: A collection of drabbles based on the lesser-known sensations all heroes face behind closed doors.
1. Nodus Tollens

_Nodus Tollens: The realisation that the plot of your life doesn't make sense to you anymore_

More often than not it took the brownstone until way past the hour of midnight to settle down with the rest of the world. There was always someone's music thumping through the walls; sounds of midnight snacks and blaring movie marathons; scuffing of worn-through sneakers between a battle of voices and taunts. And yet, like clockwork, at 1:09am the Brownstone was finally silent.

It was the basement where the resident night owls of the brownstone – Archie and Odie - retreated to decompress. Lines of pale light coursed from the cracks of Odie's bedroom door as the hour drew closer to 2am. It was at this point of the night when Odie did some of his best work. However, tonight it seemed was an exception for the young hero.

The lean boy stared exhaustedly at the desktop blaring before him; there on the screen he had countless tabs of university websites open. A single sigh escaped from his chest as the curser lingered over the Harvard application page. Two years ago he believed hitting that 'apply now' button was destined to be the conclusion of a long, isolated high school experience. The plot of his life, he thought, always told the same story: High school, College, job and who knows maybe start a family on the sideline or better yet make some friends. From a young age he knew he was gifted; he had been told this countless times, he knew he was destined for success.

Yet here he was halfway through senior year, fighting a battle that doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon in a city he hadn't heard about until two years earlier.

He often wondered if anything in his life was left to logical sense anymore. After all, it didn't make sense that he was fighting mythological beings - in Canada of all places! - Or that he was the smartest kid in school and still can't graduate because a crazy God of Time destroyed his attendance score. The plot of his life no longer made sense to him, and with that in mind he decided to get some sleep.


	2. Lachesism

_Lachesism: The desire to be struck by disaster - to survive a chaotic event_

The truth was that Atlanta never really had nightmares of Cronus returning like the others did. Albeit there are still nights where flashbacks of surprise attacks and injured teammates cause her to wake in a cold sweat, but Atlanta never really feared the dreams. She quite liked them actually; it was no secret that she missed the adrenaline that only brawling with a giant, or slaying a hydra could conjure. Although she would never admit it, there was no denying that a small part of her longed for a day when the Gods would call the seven of them back for one final showdown.

Atlanta knew she had always been an adrenaline junkie, but after years of fighting for the Gods she had become an addict; she craved the excitement of combat so desperately her dreams would construct battles for her. Night after night she fought a new enemy; destroyed a different monster; foiled another plan.

Still, she couldn't help but feel immensely guilty about her escapism – how could she want to escape the peaceful life she almost died fighting for? The others were perfectly happy to rebuild their lives: Jay was finally loosening up; Herry could date without worrying about Cronus striking; Theresa wasn't being plagued by visions. If the others could be content with this new peaceful existence, why couldn't Atlanta?

There were nights when the shame became too unbearable for her to shrug off. While she enjoyed the dreams, there were nights where she'd wake up sobbing; she hated herself for wanting something to disrupt them again. Atlanta felt sick with herself when she realized just how much her subconscious glorified the chaos of her adolescence.

She found solace with Archie on the bad nights; unlike the others he understood her need for a fight. He too felt unsettled when things got too peaceful – it was always the still, quiet nights that caused the worst nightmares for Archie. It started out as just the odd sneaky sleep over when Athena wasn't around. However it didn't take long for the pair to realize how much they hated sleeping alone and the stealthy creep from Archie's room to Atlanta's became a nightly ritual.

Atlanta wasn't sure if the dreams would ever stop, or if she'd ever get used to normality. But if she could dream without fear, then she could learn to live without guilt. 


	3. Liberosis

_Liberosis: The desire to care less about things_

It is a rule universally acknowledged that when too many teenagers live under the same roof with minimal adult-supervision, at least one member will step up to play the parental role. For the residents of the Brownstone this meant Jay. Ordinarily on a Sunday morning, Jay would be up bright and early for two hours of strategy training with Aries followed by a status report on Cronus with Hera, before finishing off the morning with a pancake breakfast (courtesy of Athena). The others - although more than willing to grace Athena's pancakes with their presence - hated Sunday mornings with a passion.

Jay usually found himself resistant to their protests and complaints; he cared far too much about what Hera or Aries would think if they flaked out on training just for one lousy sleep in. After all, who in their right mind would want to disappoint a God? However on this particular Sunday morning, caught between splitting headaches and a swirling stomach of regret, Jay failed to care about the Sunday morning regime - he needed an Advil and fast.

Jay squinted as the harsh light of day flooded his bedroom, the sun piercing through his eyelids causing them to water. His stomach churned as he tried to remember what on earth he drank last night. Visions of shooting spirits and bottles of a mysterious liquid Neil dubbed as 'Dionysus's stash' slowly sifted through Jay's memory. Jay delicately pulled himself from the bed and surveyed himself in front of the full-length mirror; he couldn't remember how exactly he managed to obtain such a large bruise along his ribs or why there were so many red marks on his neck. It was then in the mirror that he noticed a small pale figure softly dozing on his bed, her face covered with a mane of orange hair.

'How'd that happen?' he muttered to himself in disbelief.

Shaking his head, Jay decided that these questions were better left unanswered until he had at least another four hours sleep.

For the first time in a long while, Jay really couldn't care less.


	4. Aolist

**Hey guys! I just wanted to make a quick author's note to thank all of you who have reviewed – I really appreciate the time and effort you guys put into reviewing my work and I'm sorry for not shouting you all out sooner (seriously, you guys rock). Anyway, I wanted this chapter to be less depressing and more light-hearted so I thought what better than to have this chapter Neil-centered! Also, I've been asked whether or not I accept submissions for chapters (as in you guys can send me some obscure word/emotion and I'll try and post a chapter on it) and the answer is – to the best of my ability – yes! Anyway, although this chapter isn't technically an emotion... here's chapter four:**

* * *

 _Aolist:  
A pompous person, pretending to have inspiration or spiritual insight_

You can say what you want about Neil but there was a reason he is the luckiest member of the group - sure, you could describe him as vain, flaky, obnoxious and pretty much the epitome of the person you'd hate to share a group assignment with – but when it comes down to it he never _ever_ brings negative energy to the team.

Neil had a positive disposition that was often unfathomable to the other members of the team. It really all began when he first got serious about a modeling career; after spending a night googling every possible beauty hack for the perfect complexion he eventually stumbled upon articles describing how through meditation and filtering out ones' negative energy one can achieve a natural glow of attraction. From that point on Neil had four rules:

Tell yourself you're beautiful daily

Trust that all things will eventually work out in your favor - even if they don't

Always end a conversation on a light-hearted note

Wash your face.

It wasn't until Cronus came into the picture that Neil began to practice these rules profusely. The way Neil saw it, as long as he convinced himself that he was unfathomably lucky, he surely could not get mauled by a hydra or pummeled by a rampaging giant. Neil often believed in the 'fake it until you make it' rule - If you pretend you're the greatest being to walk on the earth, eventually you've got to believe it, right?

In the end, it's all a coping mechanism. Although the team was more or less oblivious to this way of thinking - blowing it off as 'immaturity' and 'self-centered' – Neil needed this positivity, without which he knew he'd crumble.


	5. Opia

_Opia:  
The ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable._

It was strangely unnerving kissing Archie for the first time; not to say that every brush of fingers and slow stare leading up to the moment hadn't fallen naturally into place. On the contrary, it was as if Gaia herself had planned the night as a serendipitous force of nature. In fact, the problem itself wasn't with the pre-kissing nor was it with the kiss itself; it was the look he gave her when their lips finally parted.

As a general rule, Archie was more or less a closed book, never to reveal too much at one time. And yet while his cheeks were busy struggling against the smile encompassing his lips, she looked into his eyes that first time their lips parted and could see an entire universe behind his pupils – in his eyes there were explosions and burning collisions he had finally lost control of. He was radiant. Atlanta couldn't help but turn her eyes away; she was sure if she looked at him too long she too would burn up. It was an odd sensation for Atlanta to see adoration stare at her in the face so blatantly. She couldn't help reflect back to all the signs and signals she missed or ignored in the past; how did someone so unreadable carry eyes only for her? If he was allowing her to gaze into his thoughts so openly, what was he going pry from her in exchange?

Atlanta couldn't help but worry that she wasn't showing him enough. Or was she showing him too much? She felt as though her mind had caught his storm.

Closing her eyes before she was blinded any further, she noted the shade of grey-blue his eyes were before weaving her fingers through his hair to reel in his lips once more. Not unlike Icarus, Atlanta couldn't help but fly closer to the sun.

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 **Terribly sorry for the belated and slightly shorter chapter than usual - i've been a mix between busy and plain lazy. In fact, I had about 3 potential chapters that I have been working on for weeks that I was going to post instead of this one (which I wrote in a night). But I kind of hit a dead end with the others so I thought I should just write something I knew and Idk i'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out. Thanks to all the kind reviewers and a happy new year to everybody!**


	6. Occhiolism

**_Occhiolism:_ the awareness of the smallness of your perspective**

" _As a Leo your pride and joy lies in your mane; this week you will be faced with the challenge of giving too much to others and forgetting to look after yourself. Try to spend some time this week tending to yourself for a change_!" The orange-haired girl read aloud from her magazine,

"Oh, that is _so_ me…" Neil announced in response. It was one of those rare afternoons in the Brownstone where none of the young heroes had anything particularly important to do. As such – like most teenagers - they simply spent the day slowly gravitating towards the kitchen.

"How can you guys believe in that stuff?" Herry frowned as he finished off the final layer of his club sandwich.

"Oh come on, Herry, it's just a little fun! Here, I'll read you yours – " Theresa smiled at the brawn; it was a known fact that reading the weekly horoscopes aloud was a common ground Theresa and Neil had been delighted to share.

"I'll pass. I just don't see how some balls of gas billions of miles away can tell me my future,"

"Oh, that is _such_ a Taurus thing to say…" Neil sighed, barely looking up from his mirror. "I mean, if Gods and monsters can exist and tell you what your destiny is, why not a bunch of stars and planets?"

"Neil's got a point there, Herry…"

Herry shook his head; he rarely liked to dabble in what he described as simple 'new age baloney' and found the whole concept of such nonsensical belief exhausting. As such - like most teenagers found in an uncomfortable conversation - he focused his energy on his food.

Meanwhile, Neil and Theresa continued to deconstruct the inner workings of their teammates minds,

"It explains why Atlanta is so hot-headed and impulsive -"

"- Such an Aries!" Theresa agreed, "and how Archie is so closed off and defensive,"

"- Scorpio if I've ever seen one!" Neil cried, "Don't even get me started on the whole Capricorn thing Jay's got going on."

"Hey, Caps are supposed to be the best leaders!" Theresa defended,

"You've gotta admit, Theresa, it couldn't hurt for him to have the theatrics of a Leo in his methods."

Herry sighed as the bickering continued; maybe he'd never be as open-minded as the others but it was a flaw he was more than willing to forgive himself for.

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 **Great to be back! Thanks for all the past reviews xx**


	7. Énouement

_**Énouement**_ _: The bittersweetness of having arrived in the future, seeing how things turn out, but not being able to tell your past self._

If you asked any member of the team about the moment they each knew the fight was truly over, you'd get seven completely different answers. The feeling of definitive closure hit the occupants of the Brownstone in a diverse series of waves; some felt the newfound freedom instantly crash down on them in a brilliant collision, while others could only feel it in small ripples every so often through trivial activities like taking extra classes, or visiting family out of town. For Jay it was on the night of his third year anniversary with Theresa.

"Cheers!" He grinned, clinking the champagne glass. Jay had completely immersed himself in planning the event; he called in a favor from Hermes to portal Theresa and himself to a small island off the coast of Greece over-looking the ocean. He had told her they were going for a picnic lunch in the park – little did she know it was dinner on Greece-time.

"I can't believe you planned all this" she beamed, thinking how nothing could ever quite beat the pink and orange display of a Greek sunset.

"Hey, it's a special anniversary – good things do come in three's," He grinned through his glass.

"No argument there," she sighed contently. It took him a while, but Jay had come a long way from the no-nonsense, all-business type he had been as a teenager. After Cronus was destroyed, Jay had re-directed his planning skills to keeping the team connected as they went their separate ways after graduation. This included trying every year to out-do Theresa in anniversary planning.

She smiled at him as he watched the vast coastline in awe. "If you could tell your sixteen-year-old self one thing, what would you tell him?" Asked Theresa.

Jay thought for a minute, "I couldn't tell him just one thing; I'd go one about how it's going to take longer than expected to fulfill that prophesy but it's also going to be the start of the best years of our lives. I'd tell him it was going to work out and to quit worrying and enjoy the Brownstone while he can. I'd tell that guy so much." Suddenly, Theresa noticed a familiar look of melancholy poke through Jay as it used to all those years ago. She gently weaved her fingers through Jay's to bring him back,

"Hey, I think you did pretty good."

He looked at his partner warmly, "me too."


	8. Monachopsis

_**Monachopsis**_ _: The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place_

In all his years of dating, Archie had never quite made it to the 'meet the parents' stage. Now this fact never really bothered Archie so to speak; the very idea of two functional adults coexisting in a harmonious domestic environment was a foreign concept to the boy - frankly he felt the whole affair as somewhat intrusive. But when Atlanta argued the fact he could defeat Gods and fight off monsters, surely he could spend one weekend at her father's cabin.

What Archie hadn't counted on was Atlanta's three demon brothers and her father's less than warm welcome at the sight of his daughter's purple-haired boyfriend. Not minutes after the duo's arrival did the gruff Hunter pull Archie aside to lay down the rules of his house: Dinner is at seven sharp, and absolutely NO bed sharing.

Archie lay awake in the dark, cluttered spare room replaying the day's events; unable to get the family's critical stares and snickering remarks out of his head. He shifted uncomfortably as the springs of the tiny mattress dug into his spine – ' _clearly this family gets a kick out of torturing the outsiders_ ,' Archie grumpily concluded.

He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the quiet creak of floorboards crept outside his door. He braced himself, expecting another ambush from one of Atlanta's brothers.

"Relax, it's just me," Atlanta whispered as she snuck around the boxes of old hunting gear towards the bed, "I couldn't sleep."

"You can't be in here; your dad will kill me!" Archie hissed as Atlanta climbed over the top of his legs, snuggling into his chest. Archie felt the heat radiating through his cheeks.

"Seriously, your dad was pretty clear about the whole 'stay in your own bed' rule!"  
"Arch, relax! He's all talk – really!"

"He sounded pretty sure of himself when he was showing off his shotgun."  
"Oh he does that with every guy I bring home, relax!" She explained, pretending that his jealous frown went unnoticed. "Come on, Arch, we haven't had separate beds in months…" He shuttered as her fingers ran slowly up and down his rib cage from under his shirt. He grabbed her hand, stopping them in their tracks.

"Atlanta, seriously, do you want a dead boyfriend on your hands?!"


End file.
